Kya's Tale
by Grasspaw
Summary: When Spot loses a game of poker, he insists on revenge. When Jack finds a homeless, orphaned, beautiful girl, he insists on taking her in. When Kya makes up her mind to have some fun, she insists on having lots of it.
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing.**

Spot didn't remember how Kya had wound up as a newsie staying at the lodging house and completely loyal to him. He remembered fighting someone, but really, he fought people daily. Why should he bother to remember one?

But how she had showed up was beyond the point. Right now, he just needed her to do something for him. A matter of revenge, really. Jack Kelly had beaten him at a game of poker a few nights ago, and he would use one of his favorite newsies to get his revenge.

You guessed it. Kya was going to Manhattan.

On a mission.

A rather _dangerous _mission.

Luckily, none of the Manhattan newsies had ever met or even heard of Kya. She was the ultimate secret weapon. And luckily, she was a very talented actress. And even more luckily, she agreed that this would be the perfect revenge, though, to Spot's annoyance, she kept referring to it as a "prank". As if any prank in history had ever been this well thought out!

Because this plan was genious. It was almost impossible and that was what would make it so much more satisfying.

Kya was going to steal Jack Kelly's bandana.


	2. Chapter 2

**I own nothing.**

Kya was walking down a street in Manhattan. She could see Jack Kelly, she was only about fifteen or twenty feet away. When was he going to notice her? She was getting tired of her charade.

_Take a step... Pause... 'Nudder step... And now, stagger sideways... Hand on the wall... _she instructed herself. At least it was winter; they were halfway through November. That would make her so much more believable. _Other hand on your forehead... Bring it down slowly... Cough loudly... Not that much, you don't want to sound like you're dying..._

Finally, Kelly seemed to hear her. She was only about ten feet away now, and coughing loud enough to wake the dead. He saw her thin shoulders shaking with coughs, and he took a few uncertain steps toward her. _Now, _she thought, _for the grand finale._

Her "coughing fit" slowly subsided, and she took a slow step forward, careful to look scared and cautious. However, as soon as her hand left the wall, she "stumbled", landing heavily on her knees. She placed a hand on the rough brick wall again, putting on a show of trying to stand. Kelly was definetely heading in her direction now, alarm showing clearly on his face. She knew that at least one little Brooklyn "bird" was sitting up on a roof somewhere, snickering up their sleeve.

She "coughed" again, then leaned against the wall, apparently too tired to attempt standing again. Besides, she had landed very heavily, because there were some things she just couldn't fake, and her knees hurt. She wrapped her arms pathetically around her shivering self, closing her eyes. She really was cold, for she had deliberately left her jacket back in Brooklyn. However, she acted colder than she was, for she knew that she had to look frail and delicate.

She sensed him standing right in front of her, and she fought the urge to look up at him. _Come on, you're near death, remember? You've been out in the cold without food for days now, coughing the whole time. Your cruel father kicked you out of the house after your mother died, and you don't know where to go, and you don't want to accept help, but maybe just this once..._

Jack squatted down next to her. "Hey," he said softly. "Ya awright?"

When she looked up at him, she knew that all he saw was a thin, sickly girl, with long, thick black hair and bright blue eyes, apparently clouded with pain and fear.

"Y-yes," she replied weakly, fighting the urge to laugh. He just looked so _innocent. _This was going to be so easy. "I-i fi-" her thin, sad voice was interupted by another "coughing spell".

"Ya don' look awright," Jack said slowly, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Ta be honsest, ya look half-dead." Of course she did. She had stayed up all night so that she would have circles under her eyes, and she had aalso stayed inside for a day or two, to make her already pale skin become even lighter. And then, of course, there was her barefeet, which were really starting to bother her, and her non-existant jacket.

"No, really," she whispered hoarsely. "Ise o...kay..." Even as she spoke, she she allowed her eyelids to close slowly, and then she slumped pathetically forward, apparently unconscious. She heard wild hoots of laughter, probably from one of the Brooklynites, but she ignores it and ade herself go limp.

Jack caught her, and lifted her carefully up. She desperately wanted to get out of his arms and run way as fast as she could, but that was not quite possible without ruining her plans and Spot's prank. So she allowed him to carry her to the Lodging House, cradled in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

**I own nothing. Oh yeah, and I was wondering... I honestly don't know whether or not Kya should succeed and steal the bandana, manage to get the hat, too, or have Jack figure out what's going on. So please leave a review, as I can't figure out how to set up a poll. Thanks.**

"Hey, Jack, what's ya got dere?" Racetrack asked, staring at the apparently unconscious girl in Cowboy's arms.

"Eh, I don' really know," Jack admitted, shrugging slightly. "Found 'er on da streets. She passed out, sos I took 'er here."

Racetrack rolled his eyes and turned back to his poker game, muttering to Skittery, "Did Jack ever find a puppy 'e didn't try ta save?" Skittery smirked.

Jack took Kya upstairs and lay her on a spare bunk. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking in the bright light. "Where... where am I?" she asked hoarsely, slurring her words slightly. Jack opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, Kya began to "cough" again. She stopped after a minute or so, closed her eyes again, then collapsed into the pillow, her gorgeous hair fanning out behind her. It was really bothering her; she usually wore her hair back in a braid, but now it was all over her face. Jack, sensing this, gently brushed her hair out of her face. She tried not to pull away.

"Youse in da newsie lodgin' house," he told her softly. "Ya passed out, sos I brought cha here. Ise Jack, by da way."

"Kya," she murmured. "'Tanks." She sank back into the pillow again, sighing as though exhausted. He got up to leave, but not before casting her another anxious look. She coughed again.

Shaking his head and sighing, Jack walked back down the stairs. Racetrack, Skittery, and Specs had finished playing poker and were lounging around. "So?" Race smirked, looking up.

"So?" Jack asked, leaning against the rail.

"Wha' happened? Wha's 'er name? And," he added quietly to Specs and Skittery, "When dey gonna get tagedder (together)?" The other two boys smirked.

Jack shrugged. "She said 'er name's Kya. Dat's all I got outta her."

"Sure is pretteh, huh Jack?" Jack glared at him and did not reply. Race smirked again.

* * *

As soon as Jack left the room, Kya got up and examined her surroundings. She tried to locate which bed was Jack's, but it was difficult, seeing as he had his hat and his bandana with him. Spot had described many of the Manhattan newsies to her, although, of course, she would not know their names when they were introduced.

There was a thick novel with the cover missing lying on one of the beds. That must be... She tried to remember. Well, whoever it was, they had glasses. And there was a stack of cards on another. That would be... Racetrack Higgins. And there was a dirty footprint on one pillow. That would be Itey and... that other boy's bed. Whatever his name was. On a few beds, there was nothing but a stray sock or a hat, and she was unable to identify whose it was. Oh well. She would find out soon enough.

She turned back towards her bed, but just then, she heard approaching footsteps. She spun around, facing the door, and placed a hand o the bunk nearest to her. The door slowly opened, and Jack walked in again. He stared at her in confusion. "Kya? What're you doin' out o' bed?"

Instead of answering, she coughed again and collapsed.


End file.
